Cross-committee Links

Mission

The Biodiversity Committee stewards the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD), an updatable and online database of mammal taxonomic and biodiversity information hosted by ASM at http://mammaldiversity.org/ [launched 6 Feb 2018 with J. Mammalogy publication by Burgin, Colella, Kahn, and Upham summarizing the listing of 6399 extant species]. This database aims to serve the global scientific community by providing the latest information on species-level and higher taxonomic changes, thereby promoting more rigorous study of mammalian biodiversity worldwide. The initial objective for this online database is to aggregate, curate, and compile new citations on species descriptions and taxonomic revisions into regular releases that are downloadable in comma-delimited format. Future goals include expanded hosting of ecological, trait, and taxonomic data, and an online forum for discussing mammalian taxonomy and systematics. By serving as both a platform and forum, this initiative aims to stimulate interest in mammals and promote the ASM’s role as a leader in high quality research on mammalian biology.